Route Recommendations, East Putney To Cannon Street

scoobers

My daughter wants to cycle to work from East Putney (Oakhill Road) to Cannon Street, she's new to cycling and I'd like plan to the easiest possible route for her avoiding major junctions and traffic where possible (maybe using some of the Thames paths).
She will be travelling at about 7-7:30am and back at 5:30-6pm Monday - Friday

I know North London very well but not South and would be grateful for any suggestions from anyone familiar with that route especially at those times.

Thanks in advance

Scoobers

dyrlac

Hard to see past the racetrack (not a reassuring nickname, admittedly) for that route. From East Putney either Putney Bridge (backtracking down Putney Bridge Rd) or Wandsworth Bridge (probably the former, as the Wandsworth one way system is intimidating to new cyclists). New Kings Rd to Edith Grove, Chelsea Embankment, then the CS8 to Houses of Parliament, then the E-W cycle superhighway. Hundreds, if not thousands, of cyclists about at those times of day--including 75% of this board--generally either blue paint or very wide roads, or both. The only dodgy junction is Battersea Bridge on the way in; just take it easy there as the road narrows. Thames Path routes involve too much faffing with side streets, she'd double her journey time.

Anonymous

I do this route every day (well...mortlake).

It's very simple and now that there are cycle paths through Westminster it's pretty safe and has cycle routes the whole way.

North over Putney Bridge
down New Kings Road as far as Edith Grove
turn right onto Edith Grove -> Cheyne Walk, embankment all the way to Westminster
go through the cycle path through Westminster onto the cycle track from HoP to Blackfriars. Go through Blackfriars then turn left onto Queen Street.

like this:

route

Bikequin

From East Putney, if you cut down Oakhill Road and go straight over you can cut down by the river,
Passed the dump and turn left onto the tow path at the Ship pub.
From there come out by the heliport and head over to Battersea park
Come out of battersea park and head left over the bridge.
Join the Cycle Superhighway up to Parliament sq
Take the new cycle lane up to blackfriars

Its a nice quiet route which is largely even off the road or on a blue strip of paint.

scoobers

Thanks for your suggestions, I will be doing a dry run with her at the weekend so we'll try them out.

rower63

I'd also strongly recommend reading in full the thread dedciated to new commuters, which heads the "Commuting Chat" section:

viewtopic.php?f=40012&t=12760848

there's some good stuff in there

surrey_commuter

I used to do some of that route when Putney Bridge was shut. Head towards Putney Bridge Road which you cross and go down Point Pleasant, turn right onto Ossiers Road and take Smugglers Way to Wandsworth Bridge (sounds fiddly but is obvious and very traffic free). Turn right (at lights) over the bridge and take Townmead Road through Imperial Wharf down Lots Road which drops you (over a zebra) onto the Embankment that will whisk her to Cannon St.

dyrlac

Surrey Commuter wrote:

I used to do some of that route when Putney Bridge was shut. Head towards Putney Bridge Road which you cross and go down Point Pleasant, turn right onto Ossiers Road and take Smugglers Way to Wandsworth Bridge (sounds fiddly but is obvious and very traffic free). Turn right (at lights) over the bridge and take Townmead Road through Imperial Wharf down Lots Road which drops you (over a zebra) onto the Embankment that will whisk her to Cannon St.

tsk tsk. Cyclists using zebra crossings (and especially that one) get a very stern look from me.

surrey_commuter

Dyrlac wrote:

Surrey Commuter wrote:

I used to do some of that route when Putney Bridge was shut. Head towards Putney Bridge Road which you cross and go down Point Pleasant, turn right onto Ossiers Road and take Smugglers Way to Wandsworth Bridge (sounds fiddly but is obvious and very traffic free). Turn right (at lights) over the bridge and take Townmead Road through Imperial Wharf down Lots Road which drops you (over a zebra) onto the Embankment that will whisk her to Cannon St.

tsk tsk. Cyclists using zebra crossings (and especially that one) get a very stern look from me.

I was genuinely assuming that as a novice she would walk across the end of Wandsworth Br and across that zebra. The other loons have a strange sense of entitlement to zoom across.

scoobers

I used to commute on my bike every day into London for 5 years. Rest assured she will NOT be cycling on crossings, pavements or through red lights, she will be shown the right way!

rower63

Surrey Commuter wrote:

Dyrlac wrote:

Surrey Commuter wrote:

I used to do some of that route when Putney Bridge was shut. Head towards Putney Bridge Road which you cross and go down Point Pleasant, turn right onto Ossiers Road and take Smugglers Way to Wandsworth Bridge (sounds fiddly but is obvious and very traffic free). Turn right (at lights) over the bridge and take Townmead Road through Imperial Wharf down Lots Road which drops you (over a zebra) onto the Embankment that will whisk her to Cannon St.

tsk tsk. Cyclists using zebra crossings (and especially that one) get a very stern look from me.

I was genuinely assuming that as a novice she would walk across the end of Wandsworth Br and across that zebra. The other loons have a strange sense of entitlement to zoom across.

This. I've had an extended row before with a cyclist that shot across that crossing expecting we who were on the road to stop abruptly. When I didn't stop, he caught me up and a resumption of arguments at every following set of lights ensued.

Amongst other points made, I said "...it's a pedestrian crossing". Him: "Oh, so you're going to risk causing an accident on a technicality?"

note: there was no impending accident, had there been a vehicle bearing down on him such that my not stopping would have put him in danger, I'd have let him pass in front of me.

talius

If you cycle out of Lots Road by the actual road, it's occasionally only a cyclist crossing the zebra that allows the gap in the traffic you need to get out. Sometimes there aren't many peds around there v early in the morning. So I'm a bit more circumspect about cyclists using the crossing. That said, if I'm coming down the A3320 and a cyclist uses the crossing then no Id not normally stop for them and would just shout a warning and carry on.

Re the original post, I used to avoid the kings road part of the route as I had some near misses with car doors, school run-ners and peds, (though stick to the CS the rest of the way, as is by far the best way in). I still do avoid it sometimes, but it feels better than it used to. I think partly more cyclists so people are just used to them, but partly just my experience.

fat_tail

I would go this way

Oakhill Road -> Osiers Road -> Smugglers Way -> Marl Road (the McDonald's is to your right if you are heading East)
There is a shared use path there which will get you to the big roundabout that you can cross at the traffic lights (once you have dismounted).

Continue along York Road where there is a blue cycle path some of which is shared with a bus lane so reasonably far away from the traffic

Lombard Road -> Vicarage Cresecent -> Westbridge Road. Now you either continue through the Battersea Park and cross the river at Chelsea Bridge or cross at Albert Bridge which for my money is a better bet as the traffic is much slower here.

If you cross at Albert Bridge, turn right and join the Embankment all the way to Westminster along a blue cycle path (except for the bit between Albert Bridge and Chelsea Bridge.

If you went through Battersea Park and cross at Chelsea Bridge then join the Embankment on a blue cycle lane all the way to Westminster.

At Westminster use the dedicated cycle path through Blackfriars tunnel until you get to Southwark Bridge. Turn left and you are at Cannon Street.